Behind Closed Doors
by Sword of Romance
Summary: Some of the best kept secrets are the ones that matter most. RaeBB
1. Beauty's Beginning

Authoress' Notes: No idea where this all came from, must have been my pushy muses. This is Rae/ BB set the night of the episode "Spellbound" Vague spoilers for that episode and Terra, mostly this is just drabble. Enjoy, read, and review!

Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 1: Beauty's Beginning

Raven sat in the night-darkened kitchen of Titan's tower, absently swishing her tea around in her cup as she thought. It hurt so badly, a broken heart. But somehow she felt a little better since he came to her in hopes of offering comfort.

He too had suffered from a broken heart, even now her betrayal haunted him, she knew. The dark empath felt partly responsible, if she had trusted her instincts regarding Terra, it might not have happened. But it did, and Beast Boy's heart was broken because of it.

How could Terra be so cruel? Beast Boy worshiped the very ground she walked on, ignored anyone or anything that wasn't her. If she hadn't betrayed him in the process, he might have joined her. Raven shook her head, the changeling would never do that to his friends, no matter how much influence the powerful earth mover had on him.

Much like her ill-fated affair with the dragon, Malchior. There was one thing they had in common at least. Apparently late nights was another.

"Hello Beast Boy." Raven said bluntly.

Not overly surprised, he returned the greeting, "Hey Raven."

The silence in the room was deafening, a silent question hanging in the air.

"Not really." Raven finally answered, as Beast Boy nodded in understanding. Of course she wasn't. She wouldn't be for a long time.

"If it helps, I was fully prepared to go man-beast on him." He attempted to at least lighten her mood feebly, his voice a quiet mixture of mocking and dead seriousness.

"It does." She whispered faintly.

"He better hope he never gets out of that book, or he'll wish he had never laid eyes on you." The mocking was gone from his voice, replaced with white-hot rage.

"He won't." Raven's assured reply soothed his anger, tone cool and familiar. A comfortable silence washed over the two, the only sound a gentle drip from the coffee maker. Clear water rushed into the waiting pot, entrancing them temporarily in the steadiness of its purposeful flow, akin to the way one is enthraled by waves lapping on a distant shore.

"Raven?" The changeling's voice came out muffled from behind the mug of hot chocolate he clutched.

"Hmm?" she replied, wary of breaking the delicate silence that enveloped them both.

"Do you always stay up?" The question was gentle, in no way prying, just a simple request in a need for understanding, a need to comprehend the nature of the girl before him.

"Always." The softness of the reply surprised him slightly, but not for long. He'd learned to expect the unexpected when it came to her.

"Me too." Another silence descended on them, soft and comforting like the quiet fall of the snow in winter.

"Thank you."

He smiled then. "You know, I've got a really good comedy movie about a girl getting revenge on her boyfriend who just used her."

"Sounds good. Lead the way." They ended up outside Beast Boy's door, waiting for the locking mechanism to register his code. Blinking, it beeped at them and refused to open. Beast Boy sighed, as though this were common occurrence, and removed the faceplate of the asinine device.

"What are you doing?" Raven whispered, puzzled. Did he have any idea what he was doing? The nimble movements of his hands told her differently. He obviously had done this before, she could tell by the way he worked. He simply connected and disconnected wires without even double checking, absolutely certain without thinking.

"How did . . . ?" she started to question.

"With patience and the ease of long practice." He answered bluntly, cracking a smile. They stepped in the room, the changeling kicking aside piles of laundry and bits of metal.

"What's with the metal?"

He grinned, Raven was certainly chatty tonight. Not that he had any qualms with that.

"Just stuff I mess with in my spare time. Believe it or not I'm kinda trying to make a teapot that can go in a bedroom or wherever." Beast Boy explained.

"Like a kettle and stove, only portable?"

"Yep. Still can't figure out how to heat the water without boiling it though." Raven nodded, secretly impressed. For someone who claimed to have no knowledge of technology, he was certainly skilled, possibly to the point of rivaling Robin and Cyborg if he really tried.

"Ready for the movie?" Again a nod was the response, and no words were spoken for a few hours, the two teens absorbed in the hilarious tale. Wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, Beast Boy shut the movie off, glancing at Raven.

Apart from the slightly upturned corners of her mouth, she appeared fine. Good, in his opinion, she was better off without the slimy, fire-breathing moron. She deserved so much better, and he could . . . He very nearly kicked himself. A boyfriend wasn't what Raven needed right now. She desperately needed a best friend. He could do that. After all, she had stuck by him when he needed a best friend. Now it was his turn.

" Hey Rae?"

"Yes?"

"What d'ya say we do this again tomorrow night, hang out I mean?" Raven looked thoughtful. He only hoped she would say yes.

" I'd like that." She replied slowly, as if realizing it for the first time. Which, beast Boy reminded himself, she probably was. Now he could be there for her, and when the time came, maybe ask her out. But not yet. Her heart needed time to heal, as his had once. Until then, at least he could be with her like this. Raven had walked to the door as he thought, and was looking at him curiously.

"Oh, sorry." He smiled sheepishly and followed the psychic into the hall.

"Thanks again." Raven mumbled, a light bulb blowing up in her moment of gratitude.

"You know, there's gotta be something we can do to fix that . . ." Beast Boy mused aloud, making Raven shake her head.

"There's nothing anyone can do. I'm destined to be emotionless and alone."

"Like I said earlier, you think you're alone, but you're not. 'Cause no matter what, I'm here for ya Rae, just say the word."

Raven nodded mutely, finding no word with which she could say how much that meant to her. Somehow he seemed to understand. He always had, in a strange way.

Later, both Beast Boy and Raven would realize they had formed a bond that night, something no one could possibly understand even if they explained it. It was there though, and that's what counted. A secret meant to be kept behind closed doors.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, if I did I wouldn't be writing _fan_fiction, now would I?

Authoress' Notes: Wow, two updates in one week. That's a record for me. As of right now, this story is a one-shot, but if I feel like it I may continue this later. I do have some ideas, but for the moment this fic will be ended here. My next Rae/BB one-shot, "Over It" still to come. Until then, see ya minna-san!

Sword of Romance


	2. Tea and Training

Authoress' Notes: Hesitant as I was to add this, a second chapter was floating in my head, so I decided to include it. I apologize if it isn't up to the first chapter's standards, which was my best piece ever, not that that's saying much. This takes place three weeks or so after chapter one, and is more light-hearted. Incidentally, the whole story's kinda a series of 'episodes', so don't expect it to pick up where it left off. Don't forget to r & r. Enjoy!

Replies:

Terra: I was hoping for sweet and touching. After all, love takes time. It's not something that just pops up out of nowhere, especially after what Rae and BB have been through.

OveractiveMind: I'm going to try and keep it cute the whole way through, but it's anyone's guess if I'll be able to.

HAPPILI INSANE: I'm a really big shipper too. I can't imagine them not getting together, but I have nothing against other pairings. Each to his/her own. As for me, Rae & BB forever!

lol61188: Glad you think it was good. With any luck the rest will be too.

The Annonymous Chonky: Right now I'm concentrating on developing their friendship, but Beast Boy obviously has other ideas. BB: What's that supposed to mean!

Mad Mauser: Thanks for the encouragement. I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic.

Surfgirl15: I'm planning to continue, but I'm a slow worker, so there will most likely be one chapter a month or something. Glad you liked it!

WickedWitchoftheSE: I wasn't sure if it fit where it was supposed to. Silly me, I forgot whether "Spellbound" or "The Beast Within" was first. :D Thank goodness I guessed right!

Thank you everyone for reviewing, it really makes my day. :D

Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 2: Tea and Training

"Some fight today, eh Raven?" Beast Boy inquired as Raven slipped into his room. He was tinkering on some metal box, not unusual for the changeling at night. Apparently the teapot still had issues.

"Isn't the heating element working yet?" Raven picked up a screwdriver and poked it warily.

The teapot sparked and sputtered, prompting the changeling to pull her away from the machine. Abruptly the rear access door that concealed the heating element slid shut and the machine began the brewing process, bewildering the two Titans.

"How'd you do that Rae? You must be some sorta good luck charm or something . . ." Beast Boy said in uncredited amazement.

Raven simply shrugged, pouring the tea into a cup procured from the inner pocket of her cloak. Nice and hot, just the right mix of tea and water. No less than perfect.

Of course after at least three weeks of near obsessive work that was to be expected. It seemed there were four things that could hold his interest; video games, tofu, one of his inventions, and of course his seemingly endless quest of getting her to smile.

No, he wanted more than a smile, Raven realized with a start, he truly wanted her happiness. He wanted her to be happy . . .

"Uh . . . Rae?" Beast Boy looked concerned, and she realized somewhere in her mental ramblings he had asked her a question.

"Sorry, I was thinking," He smiled and nodded in understanding as she continued, "The tea is really good though."

A nearby pencil hit the ceiling.

Raven looked away from Beast Boy's suddenly thoughtful face. Must she forever be chained by her powers? Raven knew she was being selfish. Without her careful control she could doom the world. Still, she longed to be free. Why was it that traitors like Terra and Malchior were so unchained while she, a hero, was doomed to an existence all alone?

Raven shook her head and turned to the changeling. "Beast Boy?"

"Hmm?" he muttered distractedly. She remained silent. How could she explain any of this to him?

Beast Boy finally looked over at her, leaving his thoughts for the time being. He would need help anyway. A teapot was nothing compared to this. He wasn't even sure it would work. But they could try. Maybe, in the end, that was enough.

He took a moment to admire her beautiful eyes before remembering he wasn't supposed to. Just had to give it time. He refused to screw this up.

"Rae, do ya wanna train for a while? If nothing more, it'll keep Bird Boy off our backs." The corners of her mouth twitched. Robin could be a tad obsessive about that. With any luck Starfire could get them out of tomorrow's training. Goodness knows she's the only one that could.

"Sure." Placing a hand on his shoulder, she concentrated on phasing through the floor. Having accomplished this, she turned her attention to the next problem, not dropping them from the 15-foot-tall ceiling. Luckily they landed safely enough on their feet, Raven's black aura dissipating.

"Dude, that was so awesome!" Beast Boy exclaimed emphatically.

Raven rolled her eyes, secretly glad he thought it was cool instead of weird. "Target or hand-to-hand?"

"Hand-to-hand."

His answer surprised her. She knew he had no formal training, at least not like Robin's. He fought on instinct. Therefore sparring with Robin was out of the question. Starfire was an option, but she was glued to the hip to Robin. Cyborg didn't so much spar as push or throw things. Which left herself. Funny, that.

"Fine," He smirked and followed her to the sparring mats."But no powers."

"Fine, I don't need'em to win," If he thought this was going to be easy he had another thing coming. "Let's go."

Raven immediately dropped down with a sweeping kick to his ankles. Before he knew what was happening, Beast Boy was face-down on the mats.

Bemused, he sat up and rubbed his nose. What happened? Oh, Raven. Who knew she had that kind of skill? He was going to have to concentrate. Thinking back, Terra had never been good at sparring. Raven was clearly a different story. Beast Boy stood up and threw a punch at her midriff, which was promptly blocked. The fight was on.

They wrestled across the room, leaving the mats at one point or another, hitting and blocking for all they were worth. Three hours later, and with quite a few more bruises than they started out with, they both slumped against the wall.

"Not . . . bad . . ." Beast Boy gasped. In truth, if it hadn't been for that fake-out punch, she would have beat him. As it was, they had wiped the floor with each other. He had to hand it to her, she was amazing in a fist fight. She was amazing period, but he shouldn't be thinking that just yet. Tricky too. She must have picked up bad habits from him . . .

Beside him Raven shook slightly from exertion, nerves on edge. Even as a human the little grass stain didn't half hurt when he connected. Probably all those hours of pressing buttons. Maybe video games had a purpose besides driving her out of her skull. Not likely though.

Figures.

Raven wobbled to her feet and held out a hand, helping Beast Boy up. "So, we taking the stairs?"

"No, we can just go through the ceiling." Levitating both of them, she tried to look for the tile that marked where the hall was. She gave up fairly quickly and settled on the nearest tile. Big mistake.

Raven swore she smelled incense as her aura fell, and a few of those shadows looked familiar.

"Um, Rae?" No response.

"I'm just gonna . . . go now."

"We're in my room, aren't we?"

"Sorta . . ." Beast Boy inched toward the door.

"Get out." Raven growled. How could she be so foolish?

Her companion paused at the door. "We still on for that movie tomorrow night?"

"As always. Your room, eleven o'clock, just like every night."

Beast Boy nodded and retreated, leaving Raven to bask in sleep's dark embrace.

Disclaimer: If your visiting this site and don't know the spiel already, you probably shouldn't be using the internet without supervision. I don't own it.

Authoress' Notes: Not exactly how I wanted it to turn out, but better than nothing. I'm going for a slightly more mature Beast Boy here, mostly because I think a lot of the joking around he does is just an act, especially taking into account his past. Fans of the other Titans, I apologize now. You probably won't see Robin, Cyborg, or Starfire at all, except possibly in flashbacks. They will be mentioned from time to time though. You can't really live with people and not talk about them at one time or another. Now that I've throughly bored you with notes, I bid you adieu. Please read and review! See ya minna-san!

Sword of Romance


	3. French and Fraises

Authoress' Notes: This part's a little deeper, getting into some touchy subjects. The translation for the French is at the bottom. I apologize if anything was translated incorrectly, I'm only a second -year French student and I had to do it by hand. Well, enough chatter, on with the show!

Replies:

Mad Mauser: There will be a way to help Raven, but of because of her emotion Love. Lots of writers do that, and while I do think it's cool, I'm going to try something a little different. Thanks though, for the idea and the review!

Windy Days: Thanks! I was kinda worried about that, but if it's acceptable then everything's okay.

Iamhollywood: I've always thought you can't fall in love over night, I should know. There's going to be plenty of time for them to get together. Thanks for the review!

Verya: I'm trying to be faster with updates. I have to get really early to write and sometimes my alarm clock just isn't annoying enough to wake me up . . .Never fear though, I will get better. Glad you loved it and thanks!

notyouraverageblond: Thanks! I'm happy you have a good opinion of my little fic.

Will-the-Titan: 6.8/10! Wow. I'm glad you think so highly of this fic. I'll try to keep the rest of the story up to the same standard. Thanks!

Regrem Erutaerc: I might work them in later, but for now it's all BB and Rae. Maybe they can be comic relief? In any case, thanks!

Addictive Jon: glad you think it's good. Thank you!

mercurysdemon: I'm going as fast as I can manage. Thanks for reviewing!

Lady Pyrefly: Beast Boy will never pressure Raven, it wouldn't be right for him as a character in this fic. Besides, I personally think he cares about her enough to wait it out. It makes more opportunities for fluff too. Thanks for the nice review!

Titanwolf: Fluff is my favorite genre. All hail to fluff! I've always thought Raven would be good at fighting. She doesn't exactly look weak or breakable. It's good to keep Beast Boy on his toes. Thank you for the encouragement!

BrianDarksoul: I don't think Beast Boy plays in healthy levels, but at least he hasn't started hopping around in a plumber's outfit yet. Thanks for the review!

dannyspudge: Glad I reeled you in. Thanks for the review and the praise.

Little Dark Bird: I hope it's going somewhere. Who knows, maybe in one of these chapter Beast Boy and Raven will too. I'll try my best on this story. Thanks!

Darkraven05: The episode format is much easier and makes it more fun to write, which means I update more. Sorry if Rae's OOC, but I think Beast Boy might not be the only one with a mask, if you catch my drift. There's definitely more chapters, I'm not done messing with them yet. Thank you for the review!

Rose Mage: I will doeth as thee desires. Thank thou for thy kind review.

ThisIsTheStoryOfAGirl: I don't like Terra much either, lousy blonde. (No offence to Terra lovers.) Thanks for the encouragement and praise!

Whew, finally done. Anymore and I'll have to do just one big reply. Thank you so much to everyone, your nice reviews really make me feel good. Now for the story. Please read and review!

Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 3: French and Frâises

"Hey Raven." Beast Boy muttered, smacking a fan with a fly swatter vigorously.

"Okay, what are you doing?" he winced. Robin was soooo dead tomorrow. In truth it was his own fault. Robin really should have known better than to ask. So he and Raven could have a conversation without finishing sentences and didn't fight so much, big deal. Bird Boy thought they were plotting or something. Seriously, come on. The Boy Blunder was paranoid . . . paranoid and, from the looks of it, about to be extremely dead.

"I'm trying to get this . . . stupid . . . fan . . . to . . . work." Beast Boy explained, punctuating his sentence with a few sharp smacks against the vile thing.

"Why?" Raven asked, monotone masking her curiosity.

"'Cause I'm making a popcorn-maker for when we watch movies." The fan whirled into life as Beast Boy began to dig in a pile for some sheet metal.

"Right. Can't you make a guillotine instead?" Raven suggested irritably.

"For who?" He was almost afraid to ask.

"Robin." Yep, Robin was a dead man. Beast Boy smirked. Hypocritical sidekick.

Raven flipped the switch on his teapot, knowing full well he had left tea inside. It was just one of those things. Like how he never looked up when she came in or how the door was always slightly ajar so she wouldn't have to fight it. Things that after two months she expected. But then, things always happened as she expected. Well, almost everything. Raven's frown deepened for a moment, but relaxed as she poured her tea.

"Hey Rae, I'm famished, whad'dya say we order takeout?"

"You're hungry again?" One slim eyebrow rose in surprise. He must have a black hole for a stomach.

"Yep. French okay to you?" the changeling inquired, flipping through a pile of papers on his desk.

"Just one problem. Where are you going to find a French place open at this time of night?" Raven's voice was scornful. Good, meant she was getting back to normal. Keep this up and Robin might live to see his next birthday.

"I have my sources . . ." Beast Boy trailed off mysteriously. Rave rolled her eyes.

"Aha!" Snatching up a badly crumpled paper, he grabbed the phone and turned to the mystic behind him, "Want anything?"

She shrugged, "Something . . .sweet." Turning to the phone, he dialed the number quickly, feeling Raven's stare like a laser on his back. How was he going to explain this?

"Allô, c'est la Cêrise Noire. Qu'est-ce que tu veux ce soir?" a thickly accented male voice could be heard even by Raven, who again arched an eyebrow. This should be interesting. What was Beast Boy going to do, speak French back? To Raven's surprise, that was exactly what he did.

"Je voudrais une crêpe vegetarien, une crème caramel, et un gros commande des frites." Goody. Now Raven was curious. He really didn't feel like explaining this. But since when did things go his way?

The order was repeated back to him, followed by a question. Well obviously it was to go. The changeling rolled his eyes and replied, "Qui, on est aller."

"Envois?"

"Qui." as Beast Boy gave the address of Titan's Tower, he noticed a certain dark empath edge closer. This was just great.

"Votre commande est trente-deux dollars Americains, s'il vous plaît."

"Qui."

"Au revoir." came the reply, and the receptionist hung up.

Best Boy sighed and turned around. "I'll explain later." Never, if he could help it.

Raven nodded, satisfied for the moment. Best Boy returned to his popcorn-maker. He didn't want to go into this. No one else knew, why should Raven? That felt wrong though, even as he thought it. Raven wasn't everyone else. She was Raven. Pretty, confusing, understanding, quiet, loud, a whole series of contradictions unlike anyone else. Maybe this time it would be okay. It had to be okay. This was the girl he liked, even more than Terra. This was Raven.

Raven phased them through the floor when the doorbell rang, conveniently at the same time as a loud clap of thunder. They returned to his room in silence, beginning to eat almost immediately.

Abruptly he began to speak, "I used to live in Africa when I was really little. The Congo, to be exact. My parents worked there as biologists, and loved Africa so much they raised me there. So I grew up speaking French. English was my second language, but I knew it well enough to get by after I came to America."

"Your parents died, didn't they?" Raven asked quietly, staring at the rain sliding down his window pane like so many tears.

"Yeah." Raven was surprised he answered. But then, a lot of things about Beast Boy surprised her. Out of politeness she should give her condolences, but somehow she sensed he wouldn't appreciate that very much. So she did the next best thing.

"Beast Boy?"

"Hmm?"

"French food is good and all, but next time we're getting Chinese." It had the desired effect.

"Not used to all that sugar, huh Rae?" he chuckled, grateful. Raven nodded, still staring out the window

"Hey, let's go get some strawberries." Beast Boy snapped his fingers triumphantly. Raven got to her feet and strode to the door, pausing.

"Well?" the pale sorceress questioned impatiently. Standing up, he followed her to the kitchen amid cracks of lightening from above.

Beast Boy stalked to the fridge, rummaging around for the tart red berries. Typical, Cy had stuffed them in the back again. This was getting ridiculous. It wasn't even tofu. Retrieving them, he fetched a knife and with practiced skill washed themand removed the leaves, preceding to cut the strawberries into delicate flowers.

"Hand me the sugar, would'ya Rae?" Perplexed she complied, watching him arranged the berries on a tray and coat them with sugar.

"My mom taught me that when I was really small. Haven't done it for ages."

"They're beautiful Beast Boy." Raven was amazed. Beast Boy, master of pranks, jokes, and annoyances, had created something so beautiful and delicate. Yet another surprise.

"My name's not Beast Boy. It's Gar." he said firmly, staring at the tempest raging outside.

"I know . . .Gar." It sounded odd, coming from her lips. Not bad, just odd. It sent shivers up his spine. Not even Terra called him Gar. In fact, as far as he could remember, the only woman to ever call him Gar was his mother. And now Raven. Why did he insist on her using his real name? Why did it sound so right, like his name was meant to fall from her lips like rain? He was confused. But then, some things are better left alone. Maybe this was one of those things.

"Gar?"

"Hmm?"

"It's getting late." Raven winced as the knife began to float. What perfect timing. Stupid emotions.

"Rae, I've been thinking."

"That must be a new experience." Beast Boy chuckled, glad he mood had lightened some. Talk about heavy.

"Seriously. I think there's a way we can make it so you're not so restricted. I mean, you couldn't feel really strong emotions, but maybe just a little bit."

Raven looked up from her strawberry, "It's impossible."

"We can still try."

Raven blinked, allowing the tiniest of smiles to grace her lips. "Gar, you are a hopeless optimist."

"All part of my charm."

Disclaimer: Don't mind me, I'm just borrowing the characters for a while, messing with their minds, and giving them back. No need to sue.

Translation:

"Allô, c'est la Cêrise Noire. Qu'est-ce que tu veux ce soir?"

Hello, this is The Black Cherry. What would you like this evening?"

"Je voudrais une crêpe vegetarien, une crème caramel, et un gros commande des frites."

"I would like a vegetarian crepe, a caramel custard, and a large order of French fries."

"Qui, on est aller."

Yes, it is to go.

"Envois?"

Delivery?

"Qui."

Yes.

"Votre commande est trente-deux dollars Americains, s'il vous plaît."

Your order will be thirty two American dollars, please.

"Au revoir."

Goodbye.

Authoress' Notes: The plot thickens! Well, okay, it's not that exciting. Anyways, I justify Beast Boy's first language as being French because, well, where else would he have gotten the moped obsession? Besides, he surprised Raven, which is always fun. Incidentally, check my profile page for update rates. Until next time, (and more mishaps for our stars) see ya minna-san!

Sword of Romance


	4. Music and Moonlight

Authoress' Notes: I'm baaack. Scary isn't it? Anyways, sorry it took so long, I've been on a Kim Possible kick lately and was having trouble writing this. Hmm, wonder what BB and Rae are up to tonight. Time to find out . . . After this short break.

P.S. Rae might be a little OOC, but I had to move the plot along somehow.

Replies to anonymous reviewers:

Firstly, thank you everyone for reviewing. It really means a lot to me that you take the time to write . . .err, type down your thoughts. Thanks:D

BrianDarksoul: Thank you, I was hoping it wouldn't be boring. Wasn't expecting thought-provoking, but I'm glad it is. Bogard Brothers, haven't heard of them in a while. Red cordial seems a likely candidate though. . . ;)

Regrem Erutaerc: Thanks for the kind review, that info was very helpful in this chapter, otherwise I would have made a pretty embarassing mistake. I could have sworn Lazy was one of her emotions separately . . . As for BB's bilingual state, I just figured it would be cool for him to have two. I wasn't being particularly choosy which came first. Sorry if it bothered you, but rest assured it's nothing important to the plot. :) I hope you like this chapter too.

Alright, on with torture . . .(cough) I mean show, yeah show.

Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 4: Music and Moonlight

"Hey Rae. You up for a movie?" Tonight's project seemed to be a small metal bracelet, one he'd been tinkering on since that night in the kitchen a month ago.

Raven shrugged, "Sounds fine. Need any help?"

"Yeah, could you hand me that circuitry board? Anyways, how about this movie about a guy who pretends to be a girl nanny so he can be with his kid?" Raven shrugged again and moved to the teapot. Why was he bothering? That bracelet couldn't work. Sure the theory was sound, just block the impulses her emotions sent, and the lab data checked out okay, though she would have to ask Cyborg about those pictures of Bee later . . .

Still, it couldn't work. Not ever . . .

Beast Boy frowned. Something was up with Raven. Well, upon reflection, something was always up with her, but ever since they started this project to keep her powers in check, she had been acting weird. Defeated almost. Movie huh? Maybe it was time for a change . . . "Hey Rae?"

"Yes?" She sat down in front of him with two full mugs, curious despite herself.

"How about some music instead? Something soft." He tagged on in a rush as she opened her mouth to decline.

"Alright." What was the idea with the music? Sure, it was a welcome change, but . . . She smiled, internally at least, the gesture slowly becoming easier for her. Strange that. His room was too bright for music though. Maybe, just this once, she could put that huge stereo to good use. Raven stood up, hesitating. Could she trust him?

To his credit, Beast Boy remained silent, knowing she was struggling. If he had hurt her . . . he'd never forgive himself. She'd had too much of that. He'd love to hold her right now, help her, but considering he'd already apparently screwed up . . . Mentally kicking himself, he watched Raven hopelessly. He knew he would screw up. He always did . . .

Raven glanced at the floor, the tiny gold bracelet glittering in the lamp light. If she were honest with herself, she was confused. The bracelet, the tea, everything they had been doing for the past couple of months, none of it made sense. The pale empath scowled. She abhorred being confused. Why was Gar doing this? Yes, she knew he wanted her to be happy, but what about him? People always wanted something. Then again, Gar wasn't people, he was Gar. And sometime, somewhere along the way, that had begun to make a difference. A lot of difference. Enough difference to do a crazy thing like what she was about to do. "Gar?"

"Yeah Rae?" They locked eyes, Raven startled at the change in Gar's. They looked . . . different, desperate. The hope ever present in his eyes had shrunk to a shred. Somehow Raven knew she didn't really have a choice. Bringing the hope back into his gaze took on sudden importance, putting a smile on his face a sudden duty, and for once in her life, she didn't know why. None of her emotions were prompting her. For now it was just Raven and just Gar and just this strange feeling . . . and just one thing she could do. "Let's listen in my room. Better acoustics, not to mention stereo." she said with a disparaging glance at his stereo system. Mission accomplished. Eyes once again bright with a blazing hope, he nodded.

Using her powers to scoop up his parts and their tea mugs, Raven led the way, smirking inside at the irony.

"You know, it's kinda ironic," Beast Boy began, smirking himself "Using your powers to carry parts of a device to suppress your powers."

Raven was again surprised, something she was scarily almost used to. In fact, this whole thing was something she was getting used to, becoming as normal as her morning tea. Oh, well, c'est la vie . . . Raven blinked. Where had that come from? Gar must have been rubbing off on her. Either that or Knowledge was loose again . . .

Stopping in front of the titanium door bearing her name, another tendril of dark power shot out and opened the door before she stepped in, Beast Boy right behind her. The deep purple tones set her at ease and before she knew it, she had flopped down on her bed, tea cups and parts whirling in lazy circles before resting on the floor.

Raven looked relaxed, Beast Boy noted quietly, a little in awe. Not out of control, but relaxed. A flick of her hand turned on the stereo, soft strains of piano fluttering out. Raven nearly smiled. Rude was one of her safer emotions, as she usually couldn't be bothered to cause trouble.

It would be okay to relax, just for tonight. Besides, if she lost control Gar was right there, ready to fix whatever might break, maybe even her. The main question was could he. Could he fix her, broken as she was? Smiling she recalled his words from beforehand, "We can still try." Maybe, in the end, that was enough.

Beast Boy sipped his tea in silence, afraid to break the spell of calm that had spread over the room. He smiled, she probably hadn't even noticed she put sugar in his tea, just the way he liked it. It would be just like her. She always concentrated on how she hurt people and forgot how she helped them. Maybe someday that would change. Until then, he could always keep reminding her. "Hey Rae, thanks."

The empath looked at him in confusion. "For putting sugar in my tea." Both of them knew he was talking more than sugar.

'Thank you for trusting me.'

"You're welcome." Raven returned softly. Slowly but surely Raven's maybes began to disappear.

"You know, you're not the only one with an alias." she begain nonchalantly.

"Sure, nobody names their kid Cyborg." Beast Boy pointed out, reaching for a nearly microscopic bolt.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Which was as close as Raven ever came to laughing. "I meant me though."

Beast Boy glanced up questioningly, "Your real name's not Raven."

Raven shrugged. "Not on Azarath."

Carefully he sat up, trying to not screw things up. "So what is it?" Quietly, carefully, in almost a whisper.

With no idea why they were whispering, she answered, "Metrion."

"Metrion." He liked it. "What does it mean?"

"Light within." She scoffed. What a lie.

"It suits you." Beast Boy commented thoughtfully.

"Suits me . . .?"

"Sure. Anyways, it's past midnight, so we'd better get to bed." Before he made more of a fool of himself. Raven nodded absently.

"Night, Metrion." Somehow, it didn't seem like a lie when he said it.

"Gar." The changeling in question turned back to look at her, for the first time in a long time seeing a flicker of hope, small and weak but existant, in her violet eyes.

"Good night." Maybe he had a chance after all.

Disclaimer: Of course I own Teen Titans. I also have a lovely bridge in Brooklyn I could sell you if you're interested. (note sarcasm)

Authoress' Notes: Well, another chapter complete. Any survivors? Firstly, big thanks to Axel-of-the-Fantasy, who is responsible for this much better edited chapter. Rejoice, for someone sane is looking over these chapters. In any case, about Raven's name, I figured it wasn't fair that only BB got a secret name, so Rae gets one too. As for its meaning, I have to clue what metrion really means. It was just meant as a way of reflecting BB's thoughts in regards to her character, nothing important to the plot. Poor BB, walking on eggshells. Well, maybe a little hope will help. By the way, for fans of my other TT fic, Return to Gotham, that's my next project, so be on the look out! See ya minna-san!

Sword of Romance


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